Fools in Love
by AnnHoj
Summary: What how you suppose who love cynics spend Valentine's Day? Well George and Meredith are sure to find out one way or another.
1. Owner of a Lonely Heart

Okay, this is my first try at a Grey's Fic, usually I write CSI stuff and I'm not too up on medical jargon, so it might be minimalistic when it comes to that. Be easy on me please...

* * *

It was a normal morning, nothing out of the usual. George's alarm let out a loud buzz just as the sun had decided to peek up from beneath the horizon. But this rare sun, however, only lasted for mere moments before it hid under a blanket of clouds. It was Seattle. George didn't result in doing the same. Instead, he raced down the hallway in his pajamas to get to the shower first. He was living with two women, if he was the last, he was sure to have no hot water. 

It was a peaceful way to begin hectic day running rounds. He was just about to begin the chorusofsomething that sounded some what comparable to the Stones' Satisfactionwhen the bathroom door flung open and a half dressed Izzie stepped inside. Apparently he had been the second one in the bathroom, not the first.

George yelled as soon as he confirmed who was the guilty party. "Izzie! Get out now!" He hurriedly grabbed the towel that was draped over the glass door and secured it around his waist while still inside the shower. She still hadn't left. "You're not going anywhere…Why!"

"We live in the same house George, I don't see a problem with it."

"That's because I'm the one in the shower. If it was you in here and me out there…you would have a slightly different perspective." He argued, sliding the door open and stepping out. Izzie just smiled, trying not to laugh at how angry he was becoming. "This had better be important…" He carefully bent down to gather his pajamas that had last been left in the middle of the floor. "What is it?"

"Meredith won't get up." She finally answered.

"Again? That's been…everyday this week." He hadn't realized when he said it, but it was only Tuesday. "Have you went for her feet? That might work."

"George, that only works for you because you're ticklish." She quickly shot down his idea for her own. "Why don't you go downstairs for some ice cubes."

"No I'm not dumping ice cubes on her…I'm too young to die." He headed out the doorway and ducked into his room for a moment to get dressed then met back with Izzie, hovering over Meredith, who happened to be quite awake, but refused to open her eyes.

"Meredith, we're going to be late." Izzie said forcefully, but she only covered her ears with the pillow over her head. This obviously wasn't working so well.

George carefully sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned down to peek underneath her hiding place. "Mere…why don't you want to go to work?" He asked her calmly with a smile, something he guessed Izzie hadn't done yet. "What's wrong?" His voice was low enough that it was barely audible to Izzie across the room.

"Good luck…" Izzie turned to return down the hallway. "I'll be in the bathroom if you need anything." George just shook her head as she left.

It was then when Meredith tossed the pillow aside and opened her eyes. "She walked in on you again?"

"Yes, but now I think she does it just to make me angry." He hadn't realized that until just then. "The last time you did that it was on accident though."

"Why don't you just lock the door?"

"Actually, I hadn't thought of that…Hey! No changing the subject. Why don't you want to get out of bed?"

"George…do you know what today is?" She answered with another question. Though it didn't solve anything, she did push herself up into a sitting position. She wasn't out of bed, but it was an improvement.

George's eyes searched the room for a calendar, because at this time in the morning he had no idea, but he found nothing.

"It's Valentine's Day…It's worst day of the year."

"Really, I thought it was women who liked Valentine's Day, and men who hated it, you know, having to actually remember when it is and all."

"Correction, it's the women who have men who actually like the holiday." She let herself flop back onto her pillow.

"No…no, we have to get to work…oh." He justcaught the connection between the two. "McDreamy…right."

"No, it's Dr. Shepherd…not McDreamy…if anything, he's McMarried."

"Who needs him. Now, come on…you've got to get ready for work. Maybe we can get in on a really good surgery...like a career changing surgery…or we could just leave you at home…alone…with nothing to take you're mind off of everything else that might be bothering you and you'll go more crazy than you already are." Meredith contemplated that for a moment. "Come on, do it for me, Mere…please." He asked with pleading eyes and a smile on his face that to which no one could ever say no.

She sighed before pushing the warm covers off herself and planting her feet firmly on the floor. "Don't tell Izzie why." She said before she headed to her closet for something to wear instead of pajamas.

"I promise." He wasn't so sure what the big deal was, but he swore he wouldn't either way.

* * *

Meredith and George followed behind the usually peppy Izzie into the locker room, though both with the polar opposite mood wearing upon there faces. Meredith tossed her bag of spare clean clothes on to the floor and struggled to get her locker opened, while with one simple move Izzie opened hers to find a small white teddy bear holding an envelope right inside. She ripped it open and read parts of it aloud, just what Meredith didn't feel like hearing at the time. 

"_Dinner at Café Zaffarano…at seven thirty…remember, wear something nice_." She said in broken sentences. "_Love Alex…_"

George knew that it had to be from Alex before she even read it. He simply rolled his eyes to Meredith, and for once a small smile played on her lips. Neither of them had really warmed up to whom they referred to as the spawn of satanquite yet.

Izzie quickly left the room to go find this not so secret admirer, of course, the bear still in hand.

"Did I ever tell you I hate Valentine's Day?" She reinforced her point.

"Why yes you did…and you are definitelynot alone." He said before sitting down on the bench behind him. "Why didn't you want me to tell Izzie that you hate Valentine's Day? I mean, it's not a big deal…"

She stopped shoving the dirty clothes into her bag to bring home to turn to face the man who should have been changed into scrubs already but was waiting to ask her that very question before he did so. "Izzie is always happy…well, almost always happy. If she knew how much I despise today, she'd be all cheery and 'come on get happy' me to death."

"I know exactly what you mean…"

"And I thought I could talk toyou because…I mean, you're like me…just got out of a crappy relationship with someone who works in this hospital…no date for tonight…you know..."

"Oh that makes me feel so much better…" He said with such sarcasm.

"So I guess tonight it'll just be you and me celebrating the worst holiday together in the way it was meant to be spent…with a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a good movie." She patted the side of his face slightly as she walked on past him to change in the other room.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Based on the previous use of satire on his behalf, she expected his words to have been said in the same context, when in actuality, it didn't sound like such a bad idea to George after all.

* * *

There's more to come, but I just can't tell you when. It all depends on how much homework I get piled on this week. Please, tell me what you think...I really appreciate any kind of response. 


	2. All You Need is Love

_Okay I decided to wrap this up in two chapters instead of three because I didn't really want to split this part up. The lyrics and the overall title I borrowed from the Inara George song on the GA soundtrack. I thought it was fitting for the occasion._

* * *

_Fools in love, are there any other kind of lovers?  
Fools in love, is there any other kind of pain?  
Everything you do, you do it for your baby love...your baby love..._

Through their day at work, one thing was apparent; everyone seemed to be in a great mood, well everyone except for the two mopey interns. Obviously Alex and Izzie had plans, but even Christina of all people gave into the holiday festivities and had made plans with Burke for a nice dinner and a night on the town. It was like some kind of disease rapidly making its way throughout the entire hospital.

Meredith could only imagine what the two Shepard's had on their agenda. For the time being, she had been avoided either one of them, Derek especially, as much as possible. She just didn't want to think about it.

It had been the same with George and Olivia. They never did end it too well; George had just gotten angry and stopped talking altogether, apart from the times when it was absolutely necessary, but they just couldn't discuss what went so wrong. Frankly, at this point, he didn't care if they ever did. After all, she had been the main cause of Alex and Izzie's last squabble. And he had Meredith to think about. Olivia was nothing in comparison.

When it came to the possible career changing surgery hopes, the opportunity had not yet presented itself. Meredith had scrubbed in for yet another appendectomy, nothing out of the normal. George had been stuck doing paperwork and checking in on post-operation patients. He had two people throw up on him, luckily both times it had only reached his shoes. But not to mention, he had gotten his hand bitten by a little kid.

Meredith had it figured that when people were in love they were more likely to do something stupid to prove it. She of all people should be plenty aware of that. So one would assume that this mass epidemic would make for some interesting stories in the emergency room. But other than the man who had fallen while trying to climb his girlfriend's balcony, nothing too interesting had happened. Maybe it was wrong to find humor in other people's misfortune no matter how humorous it might have struck her, but on a day like today, she needed it.

When the end of shift rolled around, the two couldn't wait to get home. What more was there for them than at the hospital, they didn't quite know, but it would certainly be better than where they were.

On the way home, George prompted they take a detour from their journey to the grocery store. Izzie inquired as to why the stop was necessary. She was in a hurry to raid her closet for something to wear for that night. There was only three and half hours until she needed to be ready to leave and every minute he got back in the car he claimed they were all out of ice cream at home, but Izzie wasn't so sure, though she went along with it reguardless.

As soon as they returned home, Izzie rushed up the stairs to her room, to her closet more or less, dragging Meredith close behind. "Help me…" She mouthed back to George still standing at the bottom of the stairway. But he only muffled a laugh, there wasn'tmuch he could do. If he said anything he was sure he would be the one stuck with the sisterly duties. He wasn't their sister…if anything he was their brother, their big brother who wanted to so badly to scare their terrible boyfriends off the front stoop with a really big stick, but he was George. George was simply notthe person to do such things.

It was, however, like George to have immense sympathy for people, even more so when that person was Meredith. After they had both disappeared from his view, he begrudgingly trudged up the steps with clumsy not so quiet feet. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, but it was something that he felt he had to do.

As soon as he reached the top, he was spotted and was yanked quickly by the arm into Izzie's room. She was standing in the middle of the room wear a beautiful pink dress. Well, beautiful in the women's opinions, but to George it was just too pink and too low cut in the front to let her out of the house wearing it. He knew right then exactly what would happen next.

"Should I wear this…or the red one?" Yep, that was it. He was no longer George, man of the house, but more like a Georgia. "I need a guy's point of view…" She clarified. "Which would Alex like?"

The last question made him laugh. Alex would probably choose something skin tight and thigh high if anything at all. George, he was different. "Well, _I_…happen to like the red one." He stressed the _I_ in his response.

Izzie picked up the red ensemble off the chair and held it against herself in the mirror. It was a deep red satin and fell to just below her knees and in comparison to the other it was more modest yet not matronly. She nodded. "Definitely the red…thanks George." That was getting off easy, one of the shortest decisions she had made, but of course she had yet gotten into the bathroom to really get ready. It could be hour or two yet…who knew.

* * *

"You like mint chocolate chip, right?" George yelled to Meredith who was popping a movie into the DVD player. He wasn't yelling in a angry tone, but because he was fiddling around in the freezer and he doubted he would be heard otherwise. He grabbed the two small carton and two shiny spoons from the silverware drawer, and went to join her in the living room. "When I got to the store, it was all they had left." 

"How dare they steal our plan!" She responded in a faux shocked voice. "I love mint ice cream actually." She took the ice cream from his hand and took a seat on the couch.

"Oh wait…"George turned to grab the grocery bag he had left on the end table and took out the white box from inside. "You know…I thought…" He began nervously stuttering a bit. "It is Valentine's Day…so…flowers, they die…so I…"

"You got me a box of chocolates?" She finished his sentence with what she thought he had meant to say, but couldn't quite get the words right.

"Well I thought since you're feeling like crap…chocolate always helps." He said coyly with careful explanation.

"Thanks…and, ooh…they're the good kind."

"_The good kind_?" He wrinkled his nose slightly as he asked her to clarify it further. He hadn't the least idea what she was talking about.

"You know, the ones with the littleroad mapin the top of the box that tells you exactly what you're getting. That way you don't have to poke holes in them." If life was like a box of chocolates, this was exactly the kind she wanted.

He finally took a seat as well, though a careful distance from her. "You got me something and not Izzie?" The previews began to roll and she began with both kinds of sweets in front of her.

"Well she's got Alex to give her things, so…" He just left the sentence unfinished. He didn't really want to remind her of how alone she was.

"Thanks anyway…" She lifted the box over in his direction. "Want one?"

"Oh, no thank you." He shook his head. "So…what are we watching?" He asked awkwardly. Everything about him screamed awkward; his rigid posture, the way both his hands laid on his lap, both very unnatural, uncomfortable.

"Indiana Jones." She answered with a smile.

"No sappy love stories to cry over?"

"I didn't think you'd appreciate it, youare not mysister…you're a guy…uh…a manly…man."

"No…that's pushing it." He laughed with a mouth of ice cream.

"Well, I don't need to watch a tragic love story...I'm living my own. They could make a hell of a movie out of me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"No...it's that bad." She corrected him and he was not about to say anything to challenge it. "I wonder what they're doing right now?"

"The Shepherds'?…No, you can't be thinking of that…no." He tried to convince her, but failed to do so.

"You know, their place probably looks like a soap opera set threw up all over it. Rose petals here and there…candles…music...everything."

"They're living in his trailer!" He chuckled as he spoke. "And please…don't say that."

"You…you are supposed to be supportive. Listening to what's on my mind...I think I might have to fire you."

"That's not what I meant…it's just I've had to clean my shoes off twice because of that, and I highly doubt I smell like roses…even after I took a shower. So…sorry."

She braced her hand on his shoulder as she took a whiff. George had no idea whether she was serious or not, butthe smile on her face spoke for itself. "It's all good." He smelled not like he had said and not like any kind of cologne, instead it was just…George.

"I wonder what Olivia's doing right now?" He changed the conversation away from how weird things were heading.

"George…" She said in a scolding tone.

"Why can you go on about Derek, but I can't say anything about Olivia?" At this point they had pretty much forgotten about Harrison Ford's adventures playing on the screen in front of them. They were too deep into the conversation.

"Do you still love her?" Meredith asked honestly.

It caught him off guard. He actually had to stop to think about it for a moment. "You know…I don't really think I ever did." It took him a while to get started, but once he did, he couldn't stop talking. He set his empty bowl on the coffee table and propped up is feet. "It think…I think I was more in love with the idea of Olivia than Olivia herself. I mean, I had no life…I was hung up over someone else with whom I knew it would never work…" He was very vague when he mentioned the part about the other woman. He didn't want her to know the truth about it. "…and then she came along and she was actually interested…_interested in me_."

"Why do you find it so amazing that someone could actually be interested in you?" It was a sincere question. George was a good guy. She was sure that if he was married, he would definitely share that information with his current girlfriend. Actually...a guy like George would never really be in a situation like that in the first place.

"Have you taken a look at me …I could stand to lose a few pounds…and I'm kind of…clumsy…when it comes to women, you know…I'm not exactly a guy like Alex…I'm just George."

"Precisely…and if you one day became anymore like Alex I might just have to disown you." He wasn't sure what all she meant by her last comment. A silence ensued between the two. George returned to the movie that had been previously forgotten, but he had seen it so many times before it didn't matter.

It was then Meredith chose to shatter that silence. "George…" She asked quietly, as not to disturb him. "...what's wrong with me?"

He looked away from the television as soon as he heard her. He couldn't believe she would ask anything like that. Didn't she already know the answer. "What do you mean, Mere?"

"Why didn't he pick me?" He tone gave off such vulnerability when she finally spoke. It looked as if small tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, but instead of letting then fall, she forced them to stay right where they were. She had been doing plenty of crying lately, and she wasn't about to breakdown now.

He just stared at her in disbelief, not saying a word at first. She put another piece of chocolate into her mouth in the mean time, quite pathetically."Honestly?" He asked.

"Well I don't want you to lie."

"I have no idea why he would ever choose Addison when he had the chance to be with you."

"What did I just tell you!" She didn't believe him. "That's just one of those friend kind of answers, you know, the kind that are exactly what someone wants to hear. A non-confrontational…dishonest answer and I don't want to hear it!"

"Mere, no it's not." He approached her harsh tone with a surprisingly soft one. "You're…you're smart…and…you're funny…beautiful…and you care about people…you love with your whole heart, but for some reason…people just can't appreciate that…and they should…you…Meredith, you deserve someone so much better than Derek or some random guy you bring home from a bar…you need someone who knows how lucky they are to be the guy that you pick…that you choose…that you love…and nothing less than that…" He was rambling, a typical George-like nervous ramble. George forgot about what all else he had meant to say. It wasn't working. He reached his right hand to wipe away a small tear trailing down the side of her face, one that she hadn'tbothered to hide any longer. While his hand was there it took a detour to the side of her neck. From there everything was simply on impulse. As soon as Meredith looked up from where her box of candy was lying in her lap to meet with his own pair of brown eyes, he drew her closer to him, until their lips met softly somewhere in the middle.

As an after thought, George considered himself incredibly stupid for doing what he had just done. While silently cursing himself, he failed to realize she didn't seem in the least bit against the idea. Her fingertips where tangled amongst the brown curls of his hair, and he hadn't the slightest idea why. That moment he pulled away from her and just watched as her eyelashes fluttered open to meet again with his own.

"I'm sorry Mere…" His eyes returned to the box of chocolates she had dropped upon the floor in the process, avoiding the spark he saw in hers like the plague. "I didn't mean--" She stopped him from rambling once again and spoke herself.

"Save the apologies for someone who really needs them." She touched him gently on the chin hoping to redirect his eyes to hers. "I'm sorry…"

"Why should you be sorry?" He interrupted.

She laughed slightly. "Izzie wasn't the other woman was she?" The look upon his face showed he didn't remember to what she was referring. "You said when you were with Olivia, you were in love with someone else, but you knew that nothing would ever happen…I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like that."

"Well…how you know I was talking about you when I said that?" He asked, but judging on the rosy color his cheeks had become, she knew she was right. "I know you've got some other things to sort out for now…and I know I'm the last thing that you need at the moment, but…I love you, Mere…" He knew he had to tell her now or there was a chance that he never would.

"Are you kidding me…George, why would you think I didn't need you right now…I do."

"I would make things complicated right now…we live in the same house…your house…you didn't need to know that…not now…McDreamy…uh, McMarried…a whole big McMess right?...And I'd only make things worse."

"George…just stop talking…" She grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to herself.

* * *

When Izzie returned home the next morning, in the same dress she had left the house wearing the night before, it was nearing nine o'clock. They didn't have to go into work that morning, but she was sure at least one of the two would be awake and downstairs doing something, whether it was eating breakfast or falling back to sleep on the couch in the living room. Either way, she was bound to have an interrogation by one of them, Meredith not nearly as bad as she could imagine George could be about her having been out all night. 

On the off chance, maybe they weren't home. Meredith liked to geterrands done whenever she didn't have work, the only thing she could think to do with her spare time. Maybe they were off at the grocery store. She had just finished off George's last box of Frosted Flakes and hadn't bothered to tell him. Perhaps he ran out to get more.

Though when she unlocked the front door and walked in she saw what faintly looked like two lumps on the couch from where she was standing. She walked closer, quiet as to not wake _the lumps_, to get a better look. Meredith head was resting upon his lap and his laid awkwardly on the arm cushion of the couch.George arm was draped across her back and she took note of the box of chocolates that was still on the floor. She hurriedly ran into the kitchen and grabbed the Polaroid and snapped a picture of the two then ran up the stairs to act as if she had been their all along if anyone happened to ask.

Thanks to the fact the house had was rather old, having been in Meredith's family for some time, the third step up made a loud creek as she put her weight on it. It caused Meredith to stir from her sound sleep, but Izzie was already out of sight by then. What was within her sight was the photograph last tossed on the coffee table. She picked it up and read the caption that had been scribbled in the white border at the bottom. "_Valentine's Day isn't as bad as it may seem_…" She recited before resting her head back down with the still sleeping George. Maybe it really wasn't half bad after all. She closed her eyes and drifted of almost instantly.

_Fools in love they think they're heroes  
'Cause they get to feel no pain  
I say fools in love are zeros  
I should know...  
I should know because this fool's in love again._


End file.
